New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will open the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 civilian lives. The discussion comes as the monsoon session of Parliament resumes after a turbulent start marked by disruptions and the unexpected resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Operation Sindoor, carried out on May 7, 2025, was a precision military strike targeting nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The operation was intended to dismantle the operational capabilities of groups allegedly responsible for the cross-border attack in Pahalgam.
The Lok Sabha’s List of Business for Monday describes the agenda as: “Special Discussion on India’s strong, successful and decisive ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.”
Home minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and BJP MPs Anurag Thakur and Nishikant Dubey are also likely to participate in the discussion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to intervene in the debate in the Lok Sabha and may also do so in the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha discussion on Operation Sindoor is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, with Rajnath Singh and S Jaishankar among the ministers expected to speak.
The Opposition has strongly criticized the government, pointing to alleged intelligence lapses leading to the Pahalgam attack. Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has questioned the effectiveness of Operation Sindoor, arguing that India lacked international support for its military response.
Gandhi also targeted the Prime Minister over his continued silence on US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of having mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. “There’s something fishy when the Prime Minister doesn’t respond even once to such repeated claims,” Gandhi said. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge echoed the sentiment, saying Modi’s silence “shows weakness.”
President Trump on July 22 again claimed he had prevented a full-scale conflict between the two nations, even referencing the downing of five aircraft during the escalation. Opposition leaders cited these remarks to question the government’s foreign policy stance and strategic communication.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that the debate on Operation Sindoor will be held for 16 hours in the Lok Sabha on July 28 and for 16 hours in the Rajya Sabha on July 29.”All issues cannot be discussed together.”
The floor leaders of the INDIA bloc parties will meet on Monday at 10 am to discuss the strategy for the second week of the monsoon session, with the Lok Sabha slated to take up discussion on Operation Sindoor today and the Rajya Sabha tomorrow.
